Hair clippers



Feb. 11, 1969 A J. A. ACCIANI 3,426,428

HAIR CLIPPERS Filed Sept. 13, 1966 12 I: I I F|G.6

4i, INVENTDR.

JOSEPH H. QCCIFINI ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,426,428 HAIR CLIPPERS Joseph A. Acciani, 353 High St., Perth Amboy, NJ. 08861 Filed Sept. 13, 1966, SenNo. 579,070 US. Cl. 30-202 Int. Cl. B26b 19/28, 19/04, 19/38 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to hair clippers.

Hair clippers have been known and used for many years. However, it has never been possible to operate them in a way to automatically provide a tapered cut. Although attempts have been made to solve this problem, these attempts have produced clippers which are relatively complicated and expensive and do not solve the problem completely satisfactorily.

Briefly, apparatus embodying the invention includes the usual fixed and movable cutting blades which are mounted so that they can be pivoted during operation away from the starting cutting plane. The pivoting occurs automatically as the cutting operation is performed and thus automatically provides a tapered cut.

The invention is described in greater detail by reference to the drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view along the line 22 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a portion of the invention at one stage in its operation;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along the line 4--4 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view along the line 5-5 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a portion of the invention.

A hair clipper 10 embodying the invention includes the usual housing 20 which is suitably shaped to be held in the hand. The housing 20 includes two side walls 24 and 28, a top wall 32, and a base or bottom wall 38 which is suitably apertured near the front or cutting end of the clipper to receive other apparatus to be described. The clipper 10 includes the usual comb 33 and cutting apparatus comprising a lower blade 40 and an upper blade 46 which is adapted to be reciprocated with respect to the lower blade to provide the desired cutting action. These blades may take any desired form as far as their cutting operation is concerned. The lower blade is rotatably mounted on a horizontal shaft 50 which is secured between the side walls 24 and 28 of the housing 20. The cutting blades are positioned at the front end of the housing as usual, and rearwardly of the cutting blades is positioned a horizontal cylindrical member 56 which is also rotatably mounted on a horizontal shaft 60 secured between the side walls. The cylindrical member includes, at about its center, a cam surface 66 which is positioned to engage a cam follower 70 secured to the lower cutting blade 40. The cam surface 66 includes a step 80 and a smoothly curved portion which gradually increases in its distance from the shaft 60. The cylindrical member lies in the aperture in the bottom wall and is thus accessible and bears against the neck on which the hair is to be clipped.

These are the essential elements of the invention, and

3,426,428 Patented Feb. 11, 1969 they operate as follows. Initially, the cam follower 70 engages the step in the cam surface, and the cutting blades lie in the starting or zero cutting plane. The clipper is pressed against the neck with the shaft bearing against the neck, and it is pushed upwardly in normal fashion to start the clipping operation. As the clipper moves, the member 56 rotates, and the cam follower 70 is caused to follow the cam surface 66. As the radius of the cam surface increases, a downward force is exerted on the cam follower 70, and the cutting blades pivot about shaft 50 away from the zero cutting plane. Thus, the cutting blades rise away from the skin, and they clip the hair longer and longer. Thus, as the cam member 56 rotates and the blades cut, they first are positioned close to the skin and cut the hair short, and, as the member 56 rotates, the blades move away from the skin and cut the hair gradually longer and longer. Since the cam shaft is caused to rotate by frictional engagement with the neck, it should be made of a material which is best suited to facilitate this mode of operation.

If the apparatus of the invention is to be operated by a motor, the usual motor is provided having an operating arm 104 which is adapted to engage the upper blade in known fashion. In addition, the side wall 24 is provided with a switch which is closed when the clipper is pressed against the skin, and the cam shaft member 56 is caused to press against and to close the switch 110. The switch 110 is shown schematically, and its contact members are not shown in detail. In addition, a first contact rod is embedded in cam member 56 with one end 121, which is used as a terminal, extending through the step portion 80 of the cam surface 66 and the other end 122 extending longitudinally out of one end of the member 56. A second spring-like contact rod 124 is slidably mounted either within the member 56 or in a slot therein, with one end 125 adapted to contact the end 121 of arm 120 and the other end 126 available at the end of the member 56 adjacent to end 122 of rod 120. This other end 126 of the contact rod 124 is secured to a spring-like plate 130 which is secured to cam shaft 60 and rotates with the cam member 56. The end 122 of contact rod 120 extends through a hole in plate 130 without touching the plate 130. The plate 130 is designed to urge contact rod 124 downwardly as seen in FIG. 2 so that terminal 125 is out of contact with terminal 121.

A hand-operated slidable contact plate is slidably mounted on an extension of cam shaft 60. The plate is spring-biased away from the end of member 56 and is provided with two annular conductive regions 144 and 148 which are connected to a suitable power source. The plate 140 is adapted to be pressed by knob 200 against the fixed rod 120 and the slidable rod 124 to bring the end 125 of the slidable rod into contact with the end 121 of the fixed rod. Switch 110 and the circuit including conductive regions 144 and 148 are suitably connected in series by means not shown, and an electrical circuit is completed when switch 110 is closed and when the circuit is completed through rods 120. With the circuit thus completed, the inner end 125 of the movable rod 124 lies in the path of the cam follower 70 and the cam surface so that, when a cycle of operation is completed and the cam follower 70 reaches the step in the cam surface, the end of the cam follower, which is shaped like a hook or step, pulls rod 124 away from rod 120 and opens the contact between them. The cam follower 70 now drops onto the step, and the device is ready for the next cutting operation. The plates 130 and 140 are then allowed to spring back to await the next cycle of operation which is effected again by bringing the plate 140 into contact with the terminals and pushing plate 130 and rod 124 into contact with rod 120.

What is claimed is:

1. A hair clipper including a housing adapted to be held in the hand,

a hair-cutting blade assembly pivotally mounted in said housing,

a cylinder, having a recessed cam surface, rotatably mounted within said housing,

a cam follower secured to said hair-cutting assembly and engaging said cam surface and adapted to be pivoted thereby to move said hair-cutting assembly away from an initial cutting plane as the cylinder and cam surface rotate, whereby the length of hair cut is increased,

said cylinder and cam and hair-cutting assembly being movable and rotatable independently of said housing,

said cylinder extending partly outside said housing so that it can be placed in contact with the neck adjacent to the hair line and in frictional engagement with the neck.

2. The clipper defined in claim 1 and including an electric motor coupled to said cutting blade assembly and a switch coupled to and operated by said cylinder for operating said motor to drive said cutting blades.

3. The clipper defined in claim 2 and including a pair of electrical contact rods mounted on said cylinder, one rod being movable for making and breaking contact with the other rod, and an auxiliary plate member movably coupled to said cylinder for making contact between said contact rods and completing an electrical circuit between them.

4. The clipper defined in claim 3 wherein said cam follower has a hook at one end and said contact rods and said cam follower are positioned so that said hook engages one of said rods and opens the contact between said rods at the end of a cycle of operation.

5. The clipper defined in claim 3 and including an auxiliary switch means coupled to said cylinder, said switch being normally open but being adapted to be closed when the clipper is placed in contact with the body to perform a cutting operation and the operator presses said cylinder against the body of the person to be clipped.

6. The clipper defined in claim 3 wherein said cylinder includes a shaft rotatably mounted in said housing and including an auxiliary switch coupled to and operated by said shaft, said switch being normally open but being adapted to be closed when the clipper is placed in contact with the body to perform a cutting operation and the operator presses said cylinder against the body of the person to be clipped.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,364,559 1/1921 Kaufman 30202 2,725,627 12/1955 Rekettye 30202 3,054,183 9/1962 Zucker 30-202 2,985,959 5/1961 Rizza 30-202 LESTER M. SWINGLE, Primary Examiner. J. C. PETERS, Assistant Examiner. 

